The European Commission has decided on rules for the harmonisation of technical rules for the 800MHz frequency spectrum. In the past, the 800MHz spectrum was used for analogue television broadcasts. However, with more and more countries switching to digital television transmission, the 800MHz spectrum is no longer needed, allowing it to be used for wireless broadband, this ‘recycling’ of broadcast spectrum is called the ‘Digital Dividend’. The new rules are intended to ensure that new wireless broadband technologies can operate between member states.

The new rules do not force member states to switch off their analogue signals but they do impose strict rules on how they should open up the spectrum for uses other than broadcasting if and when they decide to do so.  However, the Commission is looking to set out further rules that may set a date by which all member states must have opened up their 800MHz band.

The Commission hopes that the opening of the 800MHz band will lead to a rapid deployment of technologies such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) which could lead to wireless broadband speeds of 30Mbt/s, significantly faster than current 3g speeds. In addition, the Commission estimates that these new technologies could give the EU economy a boost of up to €44 billion.

The Commission’s decision signals a bigger move towards EU control of radio spectrum management that is currently a national competence. Indeed, the commission has stated that is sees radio spectrum management as a single market issue saying that for new wireless broadband services to be commercially viable they will have to depend on “economies of scale and the benefits of the Single Market”. This decision is another example of the EU’s increasing power in areas that were formerly well within the realm of national governments.